Page 126 - November 2020

AQHA Challenge Championship Weekend
John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship-G2
BAD MONKEY
by Tracy Gantz
Bad Monkey is a good racehorse, which he proved when he captured the $125,800 AQHA John Deere Juvenile Challenge
Championship-G2 at The Downs at Albuquerque on Oct. 24.
His consistency through- out the season led to bettors making Bad Monkey the 9-5 favorite in the 350-yard John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship.
Benito Baca rode the gray gelding, who broke fifth from the 4-post. He moved up to grab the lead at the top of the stretch, getting to the wire a neck in front while stopping the timer in :17.487, and post- ing an 89 speed index.
Dean Frey, who
also won the Bank of America Challenge Championship-G1 on the same card with homebred Danjer, is the breeder, owner, and trainer of Bad Monkey.
Frey started Bad Monkey at Canterbury Park, where the gelding finished second in the MQHRA Stallion Auction Futurity.
At Ruidoso, Bad Monkey won the John Deere Ruidoso Downs Championship
Challenge-G3. At Lone Star Park, he qualified for the Dash For Cash Futurity-G2, though a rough trip in
the final compromised his chances there.
Frey bred Bad Monkey
in California from Girls
Eye Too. She has produced four winners in five starters. Girls Eye Too is a half-sister to Secret Card, Champion 2-Year-Old Filly of 2000, win- ner of that year’s Kindergarten Futurity-G1, and the dam of
two stakes-placed runners. Docs First Card, the second dam of Bad Monkey, also produced stakes winners Docs Apollo, Twin Spires, and Cartels First Card, as well as stakes-placed
Docs Best Card, Tres Primeros, One More Card, Docs First Cartel, and Docs Flying Card.
Jose Cervantes’ homebred JC Wild King (Apollitical Jess-Oh Cherokee Rose) ran second under jockey Mario Delgado for trainer Casey Black. Deborah Gotovac’s homebred Isa Super Freak (Ivan James-Isa Precious Patriot) ran third. Alejandro Medellin rode the gelding for trainer Bradley Bolen.
Completing the field were Tres A Jess
(One Sweet Jess-Pure Ruby), Summon
(Valiant Hero-Rosas Coronas), Charlies Fast Man (Apollitical Blood-Alltherightcurves), Louisiana Bunny (Louisiana Senator-My Best Bunny Yet), Cartel Creek (The Louisiana Cartel-Rawhide Creek), Purty Darn Quick (Jess Louisiana Blue-Now Margaret) and Flight Club (Foose-Seperate Flight).
The Downs at Albuquerque
$125,800 • 350 yards :17.487 • si 89
Corona Cartel
Capo De Capi
A Shot At Glory
BAD MONKEY, ‘18-g.
Mr Eye Opener
Girls Eye Too
Docs First Card
124 SPEEDHORSE November 2020
Bad Monkey’s winning connections include breeder/owner/trainer Dean Frey and jockey Benito Baca.
Coady Photography Coady Photography